Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Some nights we have "mustgos", you know, those nights when you open the fridge and start pulling things out, this must go, that must go. Well the same thing happens when I'm looking for marinating ideas.

I spend a lot of time searching for something new and different when it comes to rubs and flavoring. The fact is that most marinades are basically the same: a little oil, a little acid, throw in a few flavorizers, drop in the meat, go away. The "cooking" comes in finding an interesting blend of flavors. The search isn't always easy, or fruitful for that matter. But I soldier on because nothing is too difficult for my crablings. It's taken a while, but I've found another variation on the flavor theme.

Today's recipe combines the best of all flavor worlds. Sweet-Sour-Hot-Spicy. Gotta love it. Chermoula is a marinade/rub that reminds me of Latin cooking. Think of it as South American gremolata, (that's a horrible description, but it's the best I could come up with this morning). Enjoy...

Grilled Halibut with Chermoula

from delicious magazine, volume 5 issue 11

2 roasted red peppers, skinned, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon chile powder

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

20 mint leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

3 TBSP roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 - 1 1/2 pounds, Halibut filet

For the chermoula, combine the garlic, chile powder, saffron, cumin and coriander in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add the chopped roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Next add the mint, lemon juice, olive oil and two thirds of the cilantro. Mix well to combine.

Taste for proper seasoning. Chermoula should be sweet, sour, hot and spicy.

Rub the halibut with half of the chermoula mixture. Refrigerate and allow to marinade for at least 1 hour.

After an hour, preheat your grill over medium-high heat.

Place the marinated Halibut on a sheet of aluminum foil and place on the hot grill. Cook until done, approximately 12 minutes per thickness of filet. Note: If you have a very thick piece of fish (> 2 inches), turn the fish halfway through the estimated cooking time.

Remove fish from the grill and serve with a spoonful of the remaining chermoula, garnish with a few of the remaining cilantro leaves.

Not bad. Not tough. Things are finally heating up, so we'll be cooking outside alot. If you haven't cleaned your grill yet, get to it. Until next time remember, you can do it, you can cook.